End fitting for suspenders



July 26, 1938. F. A. KNOLL END FITTING FOR SUSPENDERS Filed Dec. 5, 1936ATTO/Q/VEK? Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES END FITTING FORSUSPENDERS Floyd A. Knoll, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Condor Products,Inc., Buffalo, N. Y.

Application December 5, 1936, Serial No. 114,402

4 Claims.

This invention relates to end fittings for suspenders or other articlesby means of which tabs or button straps are secured to another strap.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a fitting of thiskind of improved construction by means of which a plurality of buttonstraps or tabs may be pivotally connected to swing independently of eachother relatively to another strap. Another object of the invention is toprovide a fitting of this kind of simple, compact and strongconstruction. A further object of the invention is to provide a fittingof this kind in which a cover or finishing member is provided which issecured to the fitting in such a manner as to hold itself and otherparts of the fitting in correct relation to each other. Other objects ofthe invention will appear from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a face view of a fitting embodying this invention showing thesame applied to sus penders for securing tabs to a suspender strap.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a frame or shackle member of thefitting, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a face view of the frame or shackle member having tabs pivotedthereto.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a ball or loop forming a connectionbetween the frame or shackle member and the strap.

Fig. 5 is a section, on line 55, Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a finishing or covering member of thefitting.

Fig. 7 is a, sectional view of the fitting, on line I'I, Fig. 9.

Fig. 8 is a section thereof, on line 88, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a side View of the fitting.

Fig. 10 is a section thereof, on line IIIJ, Fig. '7.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary section, on line I I-I I, Fig. 9.

In the particular embodiment of the inventin illustrated in the drawing,I4 represents tabs or button straps of the suspenders and I representssuspender straps to which the tabs I4 are connected by means of afitting embodying this invention.

The fitting includes a frame or shackle member I6 to which the tabs I4are secured and which is preferably made of sheet metal bent intoapproximately U-shape and having front and back sides or panels I1 andI8 connected by a transverse integral part I9. The tabs or button strapsI4 are arranged with their upper ends extending between the panels orparts I! and I8 and are secured thereto in any suitable manner.Preferably the tabs are pivotally connected with the shackle by means ofa pivot member 28 of any suitable form extending through the tabs andthe opposite panels I1 and I8. In

the particular construction illustrated, this pivot member is in theform of a rivet, the opposite ends of which are headed to secure them tothe opposite panels or sides of the shackle and to confine these sidesand the upper ends of the suspender tabs in correct relation to eachother as well as permitting the tabs to swing independently of eachother relatively to the frame or shackle.

The tabs or button straps I 4 may be of any suitable material orcombination of materials to cooperate with the pivot member of the frameor shackle, it having, for example, been found satisfactory to makethese tabs of a tough grade of leather in which case the tabs require nometal or other reinforcing parts at their pivoted ends to cooperate withthe pivot member. It is not intended, however, to restrict thisinvention to the particular type of tabs or button straps shown.

In order to form a connection between the frame or shackle member I6 andthe suspender strap I5, 9, loop or bail is employed which has atransverse portion or bar 24 around which the suspender strap I5 may bepassed or to which the strap may be secured in any suitable or desiredmanner, and which has a part or parts which may be secured or connectedin any suitable manner to the frame or shackle member I6. In theparticular construction shown, the bail or loop is provided at the endsof the bar 24 with turned-over hook-like parts 25 adapted to extendbetween the panels or sides I1 and I8 of the shackle and to engage theconnecting cross part I9 thereof. The hook-shaped ends may be enlargedor widened, as shown at 26, to provide an extended bearing surface onthe inner face of the connecting part I9 of the shackle. The bail orloop may be readily applied to the frame or shackle I6 turning the bailthrough about 90 from its intended position and then passing the innerends of the hook-shaped parts 25 between the two panels or sides I1 andI8 of the frame or shackle and then turning the bail or loop into theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 7 to 9.

After the bail or loop has thus been assembled on the frame or shackle,it is desirable to provide means for preventing the bail or loop frommoving in the reverse direction out of engagement with the frame orshackle. Any suitable means extending across the space between the upperparts of the two side panels I! and I8 may be employed for this purpose.In the particular construction shown in the drawing, I have provided aseparate part, which serves the double function of forming a facing orfinishing member for the fitting and also of holding the bail or loop inoperative relation to the frame or shackle. This finishing member may,of course, be of any suitable form or design and may be ornamented,polished, or otherwise finished to improve the appearance of the fittingand to conceal the rivet or pivot member of the frame or shackle. In theconstruction'shown, this finishing member includes a front face or panelwhich may be of suitable shape to cover all or a part of the front sideI! of the shackle, and preferably, the finishing member also has aflange 3t extending over at least a part of the connecting member 19 ofthe shackle. The finishing member preferably also is provided withflanges or projections 32 at opposite sides thereof which are spacedfrom the flange 3| to provide clearance for the bail or loop when thefinishing member is slid rearw-ardly into operative relation to theframe or shackle I6. These side flanges 32 or at least portions thereofare formed to extend inwardly into the space between the two panels orsides 11 and [8 of the'frame or shackle, which may be done by pressingthe side flanges'32 or portions thereof inwardly between the edgeportions of the sides of the shackle. For example, the side flanges 32may be provided with corner portions 33 which may be bent inwardly toengage in rear of the side ll of the shackle as clearly shown in Fig. 9.The flanges 32 may be beaded or curled inwardly around the edges of thepanel or side ll of the shackle as shown at 34, while the remainingportions of the flanges extend across the open space between the edgesof the sides I! and I8 of the shackle to retain the bail in place and toprovide a more finished appearance of the fitting. The inwardly bent orbeaded portions of the flanges may be formed thereon after the finishingmember has been positioned on the shackle or they may be formed thereonbefore such assembly, in which case the flanges of the finishing membermay be forced or snapped into final positiono'n the shackle. Either orboth of these expedients may be employed or other means for retainingthe bail or loop in its operative, position may be used. The flanges 32prevent the finishing member from again being slid forwardly out ofoperative relation to the frame or shackle and the flange 3| preventsthe finishing member from being moved downwardly out of its operativeposition. The flanges of the finishing member, consequently, serve tofirmly secure the finishing member on the frame or shackle and also holdthe bail or loop in its operative position by preventing the same frombeing moved downwardly out of engagement with the shackle member. Thefront panel 3!] as well as the flanges 3| and 32 also give the fitting afinished appearance and such finished appearance will not be damaged orchanged by the pressing in of the side flanges 32, which in turn partlyclose the sides of the shackle and thus improve the appearance thereof.It is, of course, not necessary that all of the sides extend inwardlyinto the sides of the U-sh-aped shackle, since it is sufiicient if onlyparts of'these flanges are bent inwardly to grip the edges of the frontor rear panel or part of the shackle.

The construction described results in a fitting which is strong andrigid and yet of small size and compact, particularly in that thetransverse dimension of the fitting is very little more than thecombined thickness of the tabs or button straps supported thereby. Whiletwo of these tabs are shown, it will be obvious that thefitting willoperate equally well, if additional tabs are pivoted thereon. By meansof the construction described, the frame or shackle member may be madeof any suitable material and any deformation of the same due to rivetingor other operations will be entirely concealed by means of the finishingmember.

I claim as my invention:

LA fitting for supporting a plurality of tabs from a strap, including ashackle having spaced sides between which ends of said tabs extend,means for connecting said tabs to said shackle, a loop to which saidstrap may be secured and having end portions extending into engagementwith said shackle between the sides thereof, and a finishing memberextending across a side of said shackle and having parts extendingbetween said sides for securing said loop to said shackle and forsecuring said member to said shackle.

2. A fitting for supporting a plurality of tabs from a strap including ashackle of substantially U-shape having sides between which the ends'ofthe tabs extend and having a part connecting the sides of the shackle,means for securing said ends of the tabs to said shackle, a loop towhich said strap may be secured and which has parts extending betweenthe sides of the U-shaped shackle and engaging said connecting part ofthe shackle, and a finishing member extending across a side of saidshackle and engaging said connecting part of the shackle, said finishingmember having parts extending crosswise of the space between said sidesadjacent to said loop and engaging edge portions of a side of theshackle to hold said finishing member in place on said shackle and tohold said loop in its operative position.

3. A fitting for supporting a plurality of tabs from a strap including ashackle formed of a sheet of metal bent into substantially U-shape toform spaced sides and a part connecting said sides, means for securingthe ends of tabs between said sides, a loop to which said strap may besecured and having ends bent inwardly toward each other and extendingbetween the sides of said shackle and engaging the connecting partthereof, and a finishing member secured to a side of said shackle andhaving flanges extending across the space between said sides for holdingsaid. loop in its operative position on said shackle.

4. A fitting for supporting tabs from a strap, including a shackle ofsubstantially U-s-hape and having sides connected by an integral part,means for securing said tabs between said sides, a loop to which saidstrap may be secured and having end portions bent toward each other andextending between said sides of the shackle and engaging said connectingpart, and a finishing member having a panel extending across a side ofsaid shackle and a flange extending across said connecting part of saidshackle, said finishing member also having flanges at opposite sidesextending across a portion of the space between said sides adjacent tosaid loop for holding said loop in its operative position on saidshackle, portions of saidflanges being pressed into engagement with anedge of said side of said shackle to secure said finishing member inoperative rel-ation to said fitting.

FLOYD A. KNOLL.

